Interior lamp control device and interior lamp control method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a technology which enables specifically reporting the direction and the danger degree of an obstacle. This interior lamp control device for controlling interior lamps of a vehicle comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires obstacle information about an obstacle around the vehicle; and a control unit that determines, on the basis of the obstacle information, the direction of an obstacle relative to a driver of the vehicle and the danger degree of the obstacle, and performs control to turn on, among the interior lamps provided so as to continuously or intermittently surround the front and the side of the driver in a top view, at least parts of the lamps that correspond to the direction from the driver, in a mode that has prominence corresponding to the danger degree.

Description

Interior light control device and interior light control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an interior light control device and an interior light control method.

[0002] There is a known technology that, when an obstacle is detected around the vehicle, illuminates the obstacle with headlights or auxiliary lights (hereinafter collectively referred to as "exterior lights") to alert the driver of the obstacle. However, there is a problem that the driver cannot see the exterior lights themselves in bright environments around the vehicle, such as during the daytime when sunlight is present. Therefore, a technology has been proposed that alerts the driver to an obstacle using light sources provided on the left and right sides of the instrument panel inside the vehicle cabin instead of exterior lights (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2014-10773 A

[0004] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, only one of the left and right light sources is turned on based on the direction of the obstacle relative to the vehicle. This causes a problem in that the driver can only roughly know the direction of the obstacle, and cannot specifically know the direction of the obstacle and the level of danger. As a result, when the light source is turned on, the driver needs to pay a certain amount of attention to search for the obstacle, which may delay the driver's response to the obstacle.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can specifically notify the direction and degree of danger of an obstacle.

[0006] The interior light control device according to the present disclosure is an interior light control device that controls the interior lights of a vehicle, and includes an acquisition unit that acquires obstacle information, which is information about obstacles around the vehicle, and a control unit that determines the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver of the vehicle and the degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information, and controls the lighting of the parts of the interior lights that correspond to the direction from the driver, among the interior lights that are arranged continuously or intermittently surrounding at least in front of and to the sides of the driver when viewed from above, in a manner that has prominence corresponding to the degree of danger.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, among the interior lights provided to surround at least the front and sides of the driver continuously or intermittently in a top view, a portion corresponding to the direction from the driver is controlled to be illuminated in a manner that provides salience corresponding to the level of danger. With this configuration, it is possible to specifically notify the driver of the direction and level of danger of an obstacle.

[0008] The objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of interior lights according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a top view for explaining the interior light control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the interior light control device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device according to embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an interior light control device according to another modified example. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an interior light control device according to another modified example.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device 1 according to the present embodiment 1. In the present embodiment 1, the interior light control device 1 is provided in a vehicle that is to be controlled by the interior light control device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be provided in, for example, a server that is capable of wireless communication with the vehicle.

[0011] 1 is communicably connected to a surroundings monitoring device 21, a vehicle information detection device 22, and an interior light 23 of a vehicle, and is capable of controlling the interior light 23. First, before describing the interior light control device 1, the surroundings monitoring device 21, the vehicle information detection device 22, and the interior light 23 will be described.

[0012] The surroundings monitoring device 21 detects surrounding information of the vehicle. The surroundings information includes obstacle information, which is information about obstacles around the vehicle. The obstacle information includes, for example, the direction and distance of the obstacle relative to the vehicle. The obstacle information may also include the size of the obstacle. The obstacle includes, for example, at least one of a person, another vehicle, and a fallen object. The surroundings monitoring device 21 includes, for example, at least one of a distance sensor such as sonar, radar, or Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging), or a camera that captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle. Note that in this specification, for example, at least one of A, B, C, ..., and Z means any one of all combinations of one or more elements selected from the group A, B, C, ..., and Z.

[0013] The vehicle information detection device 22 detects vehicle information related to the running of the vehicle, such as the steering angle of the vehicle, the vehicle speed, etc. The vehicle information detection device 22 includes, for example, various sensors of the vehicle.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the interior of a vehicle 31 as viewed forward from near the passenger seat, and FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing the vehicle 31. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the interior lights 23 are provided to surround at least the front and sides (e.g., left and right) of the driver 32 of the vehicle 31 continuously or intermittently in a top view. Note that the interior lights 23 surrounding the driver 32 means that the interior lights 23 are provided over an area larger than the instrument panel. As an example of the interior lights 23 surrounding the driver 32, the interior lights 23 may surround the front, left, and right sides of the driver 32 as shown in FIG. 3 , or may surround the front, left, right, and rear of the driver 32.

[0015] 2 and 3 has a line shape, and multiple segments of the line shape can be simultaneously lit. The interior light 23 may be, for example, an LED array arranged in multiple segments in a line shape, each of which can be freely and individually dimmed, or an LED light chain including multiple LEDs, each of which can be freely and individually dimmed.

[0016] 2 and 3 is a single continuous light, but may be a plurality of divided lights. The interior light 23 may be, for example, a light for brightening the interior of the vehicle 31, a light for enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the interior such as an ambient light or an illumination light, or a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel that can display information.

[0017] In the first embodiment, the area where the interior light 23 is provided includes an area corresponding to the blind spot area of ​​the driver 32. The area corresponding to the blind spot area includes, for example, an area closest to the blind spot area. The blind spot area is an area where the driver 32 cannot see the outside of the vehicle 31 from the driver's seat, and includes, for example, at least one of the areas of the A-pillar, the hood, and other structures of the vehicle 31.

[0018] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the interior light control device 1. The interior light control device 1 in Fig. 1 includes an obstacle information acquisition unit 11a, a vehicle information acquisition unit 11b, an obstacle recognition unit 12a including a risk level calculation unit 12b, and an interior light control unit 12c. The obstacle information acquisition unit 11a and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11b are included in the concept of the acquisition unit 11, and the obstacle recognition unit 12a and the interior light control unit 12c are included in the concept of the control unit 12.

[0019] The obstacle information acquisition unit 11a acquires obstacle information from surrounding information detected by the surroundings monitoring device 21. The obstacle information acquisition unit 11a may be an interface to the surroundings monitoring device 21, or may be the surroundings monitoring device 21 itself.

[0020] The vehicle information acquisition unit 11b acquires vehicle information detected by the vehicle information detection device 22. The vehicle information acquisition unit 11b may be an interface to the vehicle information detection device 22, or may be the vehicle information detection device 22 itself.

[0021] The obstacle recognition unit 12a determines the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 and the degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information acquired by the obstacle information acquisition unit 11a and the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 11b.

[0022] For example, when the obstacle information includes the direction of the obstacle relative to the vehicle 31, the obstacle recognition unit 12a may use the direction included in the obstacle information as the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32. Furthermore, when the obstacle information includes the direction and distance of the obstacle relative to the vehicle 31, the obstacle recognition unit 12a may calculate the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 based on the direction and distance included in the obstacle information. Note that the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 may be the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver's seat.

[0023] The risk calculation unit 12b of the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines the distance and type of the obstacle based on the obstacle information and the vehicle information, and determines the risk indicating the possibility of a collision between the vehicle 31 and the obstacle based on the determined distance and type. For example, the risk calculation unit 12b increases the risk as the distance decreases, and sets the risk when the type is a person higher than the risk when the type is a falling object.

[0024] In the first embodiment, the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines the direction and the risk level using both the obstacle information and the vehicle information in order to improve the accuracy of the direction and the risk level. However, if it is not necessary to improve the accuracy of the direction and the risk level, the obstacle recognition unit 12a may determine the direction and the risk level using the obstacle information without using the vehicle information. In this case, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11b is not essential. Furthermore, the obstacle recognition unit 12a may determine the direction and the risk level using the numerical information of the obstacle information as is, or may perform mapping based on the obstacle information before determining the direction and the risk level.

[0025] The interior light control unit 12c controls the lighting of the interior light 23 based on the direction and the degree of danger determined by the obstacle recognition unit 12a. Specifically, the interior light control unit 12c controls the lighting of a portion of the interior light 23 that corresponds to the direction from the driver 32 determined by the obstacle recognition unit 12a in a manner that provides salience that corresponds to the degree of danger determined by the obstacle recognition unit 12a. In the following description, the portion of the interior light 23 that corresponds to the direction from the driver 32 may also be referred to as an "obstacle-corresponding portion."

[0026] The obstacle corresponding portion includes at least one of a portion of the interior light 23 located in the direction from the driver 32 determined by the obstacle recognition unit 12a and a surrounding portion thereof. Note that the portion of the interior light 23 corresponding to the above-mentioned direction from the driver 32 may be a portion of the interior light 23 corresponding to the above-mentioned direction from the driver's seat.

[0027] The interior light control unit 12c lights up the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23 in a manner that has a conspicuousness corresponding to the level of danger, with the conspicuousness increasing as the level of danger increases. The conspicuous manner includes at least one of the following: brightening the obstacle corresponding portion; increasing the area (e.g., width) of the obstacle corresponding portion; changing the color of the obstacle corresponding portion to a warning color (e.g., red); and shortening the blinking cycle if the obstacle corresponding portion is blinking. Note that the conspicuous manner is not limited to these, as long as the obstacle corresponding portion is conspicuous.

[0028] The obstacle recognition unit 12a and the interior light control unit 12c will be described using Figure 3. In Figure 3, pedestrians 33a and 33b, which are obstacles, are present around the vehicle 31. In this case, the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines the directions of the pedestrians 33a and 33b relative to the driver 32 and the risk levels of the pedestrians 33a and 33b. Because the distance between the pedestrian 33a and the vehicle 31 is shorter than the distance between the pedestrian 33b and the vehicle 31, the obstacle recognition unit 12a sets the risk level of the pedestrian 33a higher than the risk level of the pedestrian 33b.

[0029] The interior light control unit 12c controls the interior light 23 so that the obstacle corresponding portion 23a, which corresponds to the direction from the driver 32 to the pedestrian 33a, is illuminated in a manner with high salience corresponding to a high level of danger. The interior light control unit 12c also controls the interior light 23 so that the obstacle corresponding portion 23b, which corresponds to the direction from the driver 32 to the pedestrian 33b, is illuminated in a manner with low salience corresponding to a low level of danger. As a result, the obstacle corresponding portion 23a is illuminated in a manner that is more conspicuous than the obstacle corresponding portion 23b by being different from the obstacle corresponding portion 23b in at least one of brightness, area, color, and blinking cycle.

[0030] <Operation> Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device 1 according to the present embodiment 1. The operation in Fig. 4 is repeatedly performed while the key switch of the vehicle 31 is on or while power is being supplied to the interior light control device 1. Furthermore, if there are multiple obstacles, the operation described below is performed for each of the multiple obstacles.

[0031] In step S1, the obstacle information acquisition unit 11a acquires obstacle information, and the vehicle information acquisition unit 11b acquires vehicle information.

[0032] In step S2, the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 and the degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information and the vehicle information, and determines whether the degree of danger is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. If it is determined that the degree of danger is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S3, and if it is determined that the degree of danger is less than the threshold, the process returns to step S1.

[0033] In step S3, the interior light control unit 12c determines the position and prominence of the obstacle corresponding portion based on the direction and degree of danger determined by the obstacle recognition unit 12a.

[0034] In step S4, the interior light control unit 12c transmits to the interior light 23 a lighting signal indicating the position and prominence of the obstacle corresponding portion.

[0035] In step S5, the interior light 23 lights up the obstacle corresponding portion at the position indicated by the lighting signal in a manner that has the conspicuousness indicated by the lighting signal.

[0036] In step S6, the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines whether the risk level is equal to or greater than a threshold by performing the same processes as in steps S1 and S2. If it is determined that the risk level is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process returns to step S5, and if it is determined that the risk level is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0037] In step S7, the interior light control unit 12c stops lighting the obstacle corresponding portion in the above manner, and then the process returns to step S1.

[0038] Summary of First Embodiment According to the interior light control device 1 of the first embodiment described above, the portion of the interior light 23 corresponding to the direction from the driver 32 to the obstacle is illuminated in a manner that provides salience corresponding to the level of danger. This configuration allows the driver to specifically know the direction and level of danger of the obstacle. As a result, for example, the driver can easily find the obstacle and quickly respond to it.

[0039] In the first embodiment, the area where the interior light 23 is provided includes an area corresponding to the blind spot of the driver. With this configuration, even if an obstacle is in the blind spot of the A-pillar or the like, the driver can confirm the presence of the obstacle, and can drive carefully.

[0040] <Embodiment 2> A block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device 1 according to Embodiment 2 is similar to the block diagram of Fig. 1 described in Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, among the components according to Embodiment 2, components that are the same as or similar to the components described above will be assigned the same or similar reference numerals, and different components will be mainly described.

[0041] In the first embodiment, the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion is maintained regardless of the time that has passed since the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23 was turned on. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the interior light control unit 12c is configured to decrease the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion as time passes since the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23 was turned on.

[0042] For example, the interior light control unit 12c may relatively increase the area (e.g., width) of the obstacle corresponding portion at the initial stage of lighting to guide the driver's line of sight, thereby urging the driver to check for the presence of an obstacle. Then, the interior light control unit 12c may reduce the area of ​​the obstacle corresponding portion as time passes after lighting of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23, thereby reducing the conspicuousness of the obstacle corresponding portion. With this configuration, even if the distance between two obstacles is small as seen by the driver, the obstacle corresponding portions for the two obstacles can be illuminated at a distance from each other.

[0043] For example, the interior light control unit 12c may relatively brighten the obstacle corresponding portion at the initial lighting stage of the obstacle corresponding portion to guide the driver's line of sight, thereby urging the driver to check for the presence of an obstacle.The interior light control unit 12c may then dim the obstacle corresponding portion as time passes after the interior light 23 turns on the obstacle corresponding portion, thereby reducing the conspicuousness of the obstacle corresponding portion.This configuration can reduce the driver's dazzle caused by backlighting of the obstacle corresponding portion at night, allowing the driver to easily check for obstacles.

[0044] The interior light control unit 12c does not need to linearly change the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion with respect to the elapsed time of lighting. For example, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 , the interior light control unit 12c may change the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion logarithmically with respect to the elapsed time of lighting. Furthermore, for example, the interior light control unit 12c may momentarily increase the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion as long as the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion generally decreases as the elapsed time of lighting increases. That is, as shown by the solid and dotted lines in FIG. 5 , the interior light control unit 12c may discontinuously change the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion with respect to time, for example, by lowering the salience to 30% and then increasing the salience to 60%. In this case, the driver's attention can be drawn to the obstacle. Furthermore, the interior light control unit 12c may change the salience stepwise with respect to time, rather than changing the salience with respect to time as shown by the solid and dotted lines in FIG. 5 .

[0045] The interior light control unit 12c may be configured to lower the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion as the risk level decreases. With this configuration, when multiple obstacles are present, the driver can prioritize dealing with obstacles whose obstacle corresponding portion has a high salience and a high risk level. Furthermore, when the risk level of an obstacle is equal to or greater than a certain value, the interior light control unit 12c may prohibit lowering of the obstacle corresponding portion of the obstacle.

[0046] <Operation> Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device 1 according to the second embodiment. The operation of Fig. 6 is the same as the operation of Fig. 4, except that a saliency change process including steps S11a and S11b is added. Therefore, steps S11a and S11b will be mainly described below.

[0047] In step S6, if it is determined that the risk level is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S11a, and if it is determined that the risk level is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0048] In step S11a, the interior light control unit 12c acquires the time that has elapsed since the lighting in step S5.

[0049] In step S11b, the interior light control unit 12c compares the acquired time with a logarithmic curve such as that shown in FIG. 5 to determine the amount of attenuation of saliency. The interior light control unit 12c then corrects the lighting signal so that the saliency is reduced by the determined amount of attenuation, and transmits the corrected lighting signal to the interior light 23. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S5. As a result, the saliency of the lighting mode of the obstacle corresponding portion is reduced in step S5.

[0050] Summary of Second Embodiment According to the interior light control device 1 according to the second embodiment described above, the prominence of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23 is reduced as time passes since the obstacle corresponding portion is turned on. With this configuration, the obstacle corresponding portion can be turned on appropriately.

[0051] 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device 1 according to a third embodiment. In the following, among the components according to the third embodiment, components that are the same as or similar to the components described above are given the same or similar reference numerals, and different components will be mainly described.

[0052] The interior light control device 1 in Fig. 7 is communicably connected to a monitoring device 24 and a notification device 25. The monitoring device 24 is, for example, a DMS (Driver Monitoring System), which detects the state of the driver and generates driver information that indicates the state of the driver.

[0053] The notification device 25 includes a speaker 25a that can notify the driver by voice and a vibration device 25b that can notify the driver by vibration. Note that the notification device 25 is not limited to this and may be any device that can notify the driver through human senses, and may include, for example, at least one of the speaker 25a, the vibration device 25b, and a display device that can notify the driver by display.

[0054] The configuration of the interior light control device 1 in Fig. 7 is the same as the configuration of the interior light control device 1 in Fig. 1, except that a driver information acquisition unit 11c, an obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d, and a notification control unit 12e are added. The driver information acquisition unit 11c is included in the concept of the acquisition unit 11, and the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d and the notification control unit 12e are included in the concept of the control unit 12.

[0055] The driver information acquisition unit 11c acquires the driver information generated by the monitoring device 24. The driver information acquisition unit 11c may be an interface to the monitoring device 24, or may be the monitoring device 24 itself.

[0056] The obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d determines whether the driver has confirmed an obstacle based on the driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 11c and the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 obtained by the obstacle recognition unit 12a. For example, the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d obtains the line of sight of the driver based on the driver information, and determines whether the driver has confirmed an obstacle based on whether the direction of the line of sight is substantially the same as the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32.

[0057] When the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d determines that the driver has confirmed an obstacle, the interior light control unit 12c reduces the prominence of the obstacle corresponding portion of the obstacle that has been determined to have been confirmed.

[0058] The notification control unit 12e controls the notification device 25 to notify the driver when the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d determines that the driver has not confirmed an obstacle even after a predetermined time has passed since the obstacle-corresponding part of the interior light 23 was turned on.

[0059] <Operation> Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device 1 according to the third embodiment. The operation in Figure 8 is the same as the operation in Figure 4 except that step S7 is deleted and steps S31 to S36 are added. For this reason, the following description will mainly focus on steps S31 to S36.

[0060] If it is determined in step S6 that the risk level is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S31, and if it is determined that the risk level is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0061] In step S31, the driver information acquisition unit 11c acquires driver information. Then, the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d determines whether the driver has confirmed an obstacle based on the driver information acquired by the driver information acquisition unit 11c and the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver 32 obtained by the obstacle recognition unit 12a. If it is determined that the driver has confirmed an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S32. If it is determined that the driver has not confirmed an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S35.

[0062] In step S32, the obstacle recognition unit 12a determines whether the risk level is equal to or greater than a threshold by performing the same processing as in steps S1 and S2. The obstacle recognition unit 12a also determines whether the vehicle has taken action to avoid the obstacle based on the obstacle information and the vehicle information. If it is determined that the risk level is equal to or greater than the threshold and that the vehicle has not taken action to avoid the obstacle, the process proceeds to step S34; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0063] If the process proceeds to step S33, it has been determined in step S32 that the risk level is below the threshold or that the vehicle is taking action to avoid the obstacle. Therefore, in step S33, the interior light control unit 12c stops lighting the obstacle corresponding portion in the above manner, and the notification control unit 12e stops the notification from the notification device 25. Then, the process returns to step S1.

[0064] If the process proceeds to step S34, it has been determined in step S31 that the driver has at least confirmed the presence of an obstacle. Therefore, in step S34, the interior light control unit 12c corrects the lighting signal so as to reduce the salience of the obstacle-corresponding portion of the obstacle that has been determined to have been confirmed by the driver, and transmits the corrected lighting signal to the interior light 23. Thereafter, the process returns to step S5.

[0065] In step S35, the notification control unit 12e determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the lighting of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23. If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S36, and if it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S5.

[0066] In step S36, the notification control unit 12e controls the notification device 25 to notify the driver. In this case, the interior light control unit 12c may correct the lighting signal to the interior light 23 so as to increase the saliency of the obstacle corresponding portion of the obstacle that the obstacle confirmation determination unit 12d has determined not to have been confirmed by the driver. Thereafter, the process returns to step S5.

[0067] Summary of Embodiment 3 According to the interior light control device 1 of the present embodiment 3, when it is determined that the driver has confirmed an obstacle, the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion for the obstacle determined to have been confirmed is reduced. With this configuration, the salience of the obstacle corresponding portion is maintained for obstacles that the driver has not confirmed, so it is possible to prompt the driver to confirm such obstacles.

[0068] In addition, in the third embodiment, if it is determined that the driver has not checked for an obstacle even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the illumination of the obstacle corresponding portion, the notification device 25 is controlled to issue a notification to the driver. With this configuration, it is possible to prompt the driver to check for an obstacle.

[0069] Although not shown, the monitoring device 24 does not have to be provided in the third embodiment. In this configuration, if the level of danger of the obstacle does not decrease even after a predetermined time has passed since the illumination of the obstacle corresponding portion, the notification control unit 12e may control the notification device 25 to notify the driver. Even in this configuration, the driver can be prompted to check for an obstacle.

[0070] Although not shown, the alarm device 25 may also include an exterior vehicle light. This configuration allows the obstacle to be highlighted, thereby informing both the driver and the person in the obstacle of a dangerous situation and the relative positions of the vehicle and the person in the obstacle. Although not shown, the alarm device 25 may also include an instrument panel with an alarm function.

[0071] <Fourth Embodiment> A block diagram showing the configuration of an interior light control device 1 according to a fourth embodiment is similar to the block diagram of Fig. 1 described in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, among the components according to the fourth embodiment, components that are the same as or similar to the components described above will be assigned the same or similar reference numerals, and different components will be mainly described.

[0072] In the fourth embodiment, when at least one of the direction and the degree of danger of an obstacle relative to the driver changes continuously, the interior light control unit 12c performs control to discontinuously change the state of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23. For example, the interior light control unit 12c performs control to discontinuously change the state of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23 by changing the blinking cycle of the obstacle corresponding portion or changing the lighting color.

[0073] <Operation> Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the interior light control device 1 according to the fourth embodiment. The operation in Fig. 9 is similar to the operation in Fig. 4 with steps S41 and S42 added. Therefore, steps S41 and S42 will be mainly described below.

[0074] If it is determined in step S6 that the risk level is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S41, and if it is determined that the risk level is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0075] In step S41, the interior light control unit 12c determines whether or not at least one of the direction and the danger level of the obstacle is continuously changing, based on the direction and the danger level of the obstacle calculated in step S2 and the direction and the danger level of the obstacle used in the determination in step S6. If it is determined that at least one of the direction and the danger level is continuously changing, the process proceeds to step S42; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S43.

[0076] In step S42, the interior light control unit 12c generates a lighting signal for lighting the obstacle corresponding portion of the determined obstacle in a discontinuous manner and for causing the obstacle corresponding portion to follow the obstacle, and transmits the lighting signal to the interior light 23. Then, the process returns to step S5.

[0077] In step S43, the interior light control unit 12c generates a lighting signal for causing the obstacle corresponding portion of the undetermined obstacle to follow the obstacle, and transmits the lighting signal to the interior light 23. After that, the process returns to step S5.

[0078] <Summary of Embodiment 4> In a configuration in which the obstacle corresponding portion smoothly follows and lights up in a continuous manner when at least one of the direction and danger level of a pedestrian, which is an obstacle, changes continuously, the driver cannot easily recognize the movement of an obstacle, which changes only slightly, due to human characteristics.

[0079] Therefore, according to the interior light control device 1 of the fourth embodiment, when at least one of the direction and the danger level of an obstacle relative to the driver changes continuously, control is performed to discontinuously change the state of the obstacle corresponding portion of the interior light 23. With this configuration, the change in the state of the obstacle corresponding portion becomes large, so the driver can easily recognize the movement of an obstacle, which changes only slightly. This allows the driver to quickly recognize the danger posed by an obstacle that changes from moment to moment.

[0080] <Other Modifications> The acquisition unit 11 and control unit 12 in FIG. 1 described above will be referred to as the "acquisition unit 11, etc." The acquisition unit 11, etc., are implemented by a processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. 10. That is, the processing circuit 81 includes the acquisition unit 11 that acquires obstacle information, which is information about obstacles around the vehicle, and the control unit 12 that calculates the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver of the vehicle and the degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information, and controls the lighting of a portion of the interior lights that are provided continuously or intermittently surrounding at least the front and sides of the driver in a top view and that corresponds to the direction from the driver, in a manner that provides conspicuity corresponding to the degree of danger. The processing circuit 81 may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or may be implemented by a processor that executes a program stored in a memory. Examples of the processor include a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

[0081] When the processing circuitry 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuitry 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The functions of each unit, such as the acquisition unit 11, may be realized by a circuit in which processing circuits are distributed, or the functions of each unit may be realized together by a single processing circuit.

[0082] When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the acquisition unit 11 and the like are realized in combination with software and the like. The software and the like may include, for example, software, firmware, or both software and firmware. The software and the like are written as a program and stored in a memory. As shown in FIG. 11 , the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing a program stored in a memory 83. That is, the interior light control device 1 includes a memory 83 for storing a program that, when executed by the processing circuit 81, results in the following steps: acquiring obstacle information, which is information about obstacles around the vehicle; determining the direction of the obstacle relative to the driver of the vehicle and the degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information; and controlling the lighting of a portion of the interior lights, which are provided continuously or intermittently surrounding at least the front and sides of the driver in a top view, corresponding to the direction from the driver, in a manner that provides conspicuity corresponding to the degree of danger. In other words, this program can be said to cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of the acquisition unit 11 and the like. Here, the memory 83 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a drive device for any of these, or any storage medium to be used in the future.

[0083] The above describes a configuration in which each function of the acquisition unit 11 and the like is realized either by hardware or software, etc. However, this is not limited to this, and a configuration in which part of the acquisition unit 11 and the like is realized by dedicated hardware and another part is realized by software, etc. For example, the function of the acquisition unit 11 can be realized by a processing circuit 81 as dedicated hardware, and the other functions can be realized by the processing circuit 81 as a processor 82 reading and executing a program stored in a memory 83.

[0084] As described above, the processing circuitry 81 can realize the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination of these.

[0085] It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications may be freely combined, and the embodiments and modifications may be modified or omitted as appropriate.

[0086] The above description is illustrative in all respects and is not restrictive. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned.

[0087] 1 Interior light control device, 11 Acquisition unit, 12 Control unit, 23 Interior light, 23a, 23b Obstacle response unit, 25 Notification device, 31 Vehicle, 32 Driver, 33a, 33b Pedestrian

Claims

1. An interior light control device that controls interior lights of a vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires obstacle information that is information about obstacles around the vehicle and driver information that is information indicating the state of the driver; a control unit that determines a direction of the obstacle relative to the driver of the vehicle and a degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information, and controls the lighting of a portion of the interior light that corresponds to the direction from the driver among the interior lights that are provided to surround at least the front and sides of the driver continuously or intermittently in a top view, in a manner that has a conspicuousness corresponding to the degree of danger; Equipped with The control unit Controlling the interior light to light up the portion of the interior light continuously or discontinuously in the manner based on the time elapsed since the lighting of the portion of the interior light or the driver information, An interior light control device that performs control to discontinuously change the state of the portion of the interior light when at least one of the direction and the degree of danger of the obstacle changes continuously.

2. The interior light control device according to claim 1, An interior light control device, wherein the area in which the interior light is provided includes an area corresponding to a blind spot area of ​​the driver.

3. The interior light control device according to claim 1, The control unit and reducing the salience of the portion as the time passes.

4. The interior light control device according to claim 3, The control unit An interior light control device that reduces the conspicuousness of the portion of the interior light by reducing an area of ​​the portion over time.

5. The interior light control device according to claim 3, The control unit an interior light control device that dims the portion of the interior light over time, thereby reducing the salience of the portion.

6. The interior light control device according to claim 1, The control unit An interior light control device that, when it is determined that the driver has confirmed the obstacle based on the driver information and the direction of the obstacle, reduces the salience of the part of the obstacle that has been determined to have been confirmed.

7. 7. The interior light control device according to claim 6, The control unit An interior light control device that controls an alarm device to alert the driver when it is determined that the driver has not confirmed the obstacle based on the driver information and the direction of the obstacle even after a predetermined time has passed since the lighting of the portion of the interior light.

8. An interior light control method for controlling an interior light of a vehicle, comprising: an acquisition unit acquires obstacle information that is information about obstacles around the vehicle and driver information that is information indicating a state of the driver; the control unit determines a direction of the obstacle relative to the driver of the vehicle and a degree of danger of the obstacle based on the obstacle information, and controls the lighting of a portion of the interior lights, which are provided to surround at least the front and sides of the driver continuously or intermittently in a top view, corresponding to the direction from the driver, in a manner having a conspicuousness corresponding to the degree of danger; The control unit Controlling the interior light to light up the portion of the interior light continuously or discontinuously in the manner based on the time elapsed since the lighting of the portion of the interior light or the driver information, An interior light control method, comprising: performing control to discontinuously change the state of the portion of the interior light when at least one of the direction and the degree of danger of the obstacle changes continuously.